Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2006-07: Quinton Howden was chosen by the Moose Jaw Warriors in the first round (17th overall) of the 2007 WHL Bantam Draft.

2007-08: Howden played for the Eastman Selects in the Manitoba AAA hockey league. He made his WHL debut, appearing in five games with Moose Jaw. Howden did not register a point and was -4 for the Warriors.

2008-09: In his WHL rookie season, Howden played in 62 games for the Warriors. He scored 13 goals with 17 assists and 22 PIM and was -37 on a Moose Jaw team that won just 19 games. He played for Team West at the World U-17 Hockey Challenge and was a member of Canada’s gold medal squad at the 2009 Ivan Hlinka Memorial U-18 Tournament.

2009-10: Howden had a breakout second season as Moose Jaw finished fourth in the East division and qualified for the playoffs. In 65 games for the Warriors, Howden scored 23 goals with 37 assists and was +14 with 44 PM. Five of his goals came on the power play and he along with a pair of short handed goals. Howden missed time at the end of the season due to a collarbone injury and also missed the first five games of the playoffs in the Warriors’ seven-game first round series loss to eventual WHL champ Calgary. Howden picked up up 2 assists but was -6 in two playoff games. Howden played for Team Orr at the 2010 CHL Top Prospects Game and represented Canada at the WJC U-18 tournament. He was one of the few Canadian players to play well in Minsk, scoring 4 goals with 6 assists and 4 PIM in six games for a team that failed to reach the quarterfinals and finished seventh.

2010-11: Howden was the leading goal-scorer for the Moose Jaw Warriors in his third WHL season and also played for silver-medal winning Team Canada at the 2011 World Junior U-20 championship. In 60 games for Moose Jaw, which finished second in the East division, Howden scored 40 goals with 39 assists and was +7 with 43 PMs. Howden scored 9 of his 40 goals on the power play and also had 3 short-handed tallies. In the Warriors’ six-game, first-round playoff loss to Memorial Cup-bound Kootenay, Howden was Moose Jaw’s top point-getter with 5 goals and 2 assists and was -1 with 2 PMs. In seven games for Canada at the WJC, he scored 2 goals with 3 assists and was +6 with 4 PMs. Howden signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Florida in April 2011.

2011-12: Howden made his pro hockey debut, skating in four AHL playoff games with Florida affiliate San Antonio following his fourth WHL season with Moose Jaw. He also won a bronze medal playing for Canada in the 2012 U20 World Junior Championship. He had no points and was minus-one with 2 penalty minutes in the Rampage’s series with Oklahoma City. Howden played 52 games for Moose Jaw, missing time after suffering an upper body injury in a Team Canada intrasquad game, and led the Warriors in scoring with 30 gals and 35 assists. He finished the season plus-10 and had 16 penalty minutes. Moose Jaw finished first in the East Division and reached the Eastern Conference finals. Howden scored 5 goals with 10 assists and was plus-seven with 6 penalty minutes in 14 playoff games. In six games at the WJC he scored 3 goals with 3 assists and was plus-four with 2 penalty minutes.

2012-13: Howden made his NHL debut as a 21-year-old, skating for the Panthers in a January game against the Flyers, and then re-joining Florida in March; appearing in 18 games. Playing mostly a defensive, lower line role, he had no points and 2 penalty minutes and was -11; averaging 10:27 minutes of ice time. Howden played 57 games for Panthers AHL affiliate San Antonio. He scored 13 goals with 17 assists for the Rampage and was an even plus/minus with 24 penalty minutes. San Antonio missed the AHL playoffs after finishing last in the South Division.

2013-14: Howden appeared in 16 NHL games with the Panthers; spending most of the year with Florida AHL affiliate San Antonio in his second pro season. He scored 4 goals with 2 assists and was an even plus minus with 10 penalty minutes, averaging 13:43 minutes of ice time. Howden scored 10 goals with 17 assists and was -1 with 26 penalty minutes in 59 AHL regular season games. The Rampage missed the AHL playoffs; finishing last in the West Division.

2014-15: Howden played just 33 games for the San Antonio Rampage during an injury-plagued campaign. He scored just three goals and added 15 assists. He dressed in three playoff games, picking up one assist. Howden was re-signed by the Panthers to a one-year contract as a restricted free agent in July 2015.

2015-16: Howden appeared in a career-high 58 games with Florida in his fourth pro season. He scored 6 goals with 5 assists and was -1 with 18 penalty minutes, averaging 10:22 minutes of ice time. He did not play in any playoff games in the Panthers first-round series with the Islanders.

Talent Analysis

Howden has excellent speed and agility and can be a dangerous short-handed threat on the penalty kill. He has an above average shot and scoring touch, and his puck-handling skills are good enough to allow him to avoid defenders and distribute the puck effectively. Howden has improved his physical play, but he will need to continue to develop that aspect of his game to see NHL success.

Future

Howden spent his first full season in the NHL in 2015-16, skating in 58 games for the Florida Panthers in a lower line role. Signed to a one-year contract in July, he would become an unrestricted free agent if not tendered a qualifying offer. The former first-round pick is not likely to put up the offensive numbers he did in junior hockey but he has worked to become a responsible two-way forward.

Photo: Rocco Grimaldi has scored 35 points in 51 games for the Rampage in his rookie season as a professional hockey player (Courtesy of Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)

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Florida Panthers fans could one day look back at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft as the weekend the proper rebuilding process for the Panthers began. The team’s new General Manager, Dale Tallon, was a busy man as he made 13 selections in the draft. The Panthers stockpiled picks and had three draft choices in each of the first three rounds.

They acquired a first-round pick from Boston a few days prior to the draft, along with Dennis Wideman and a third-round draft pick in 2010, in a deal that sent Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell the other way. They traded that pick at the draft to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for the Kings’ first-round pick and a second-round pick. They traded Keith Ballard and Victor Oreskovich to Vancouver for Steve Bernier, prospect Michael Grabner and another first-round pick.

The Panthers only selected one player shorter than 6’0, with size being a reoccurring theme among the Panthers draft choices. They also only selected one European player.